Taliban has appointed Mohammad Afzal Haqqani, a member of the group, as the charge d’affaires of Afghanistan’s embassy in Tehran, according to a copy of a letter that was seen by Amu.
As per the letter, the Taliban’s foreign ministry said that Haqqani, who has worked as the first secretariat of the embassy since summer, will head the embassy.
The letter signed by Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi asks Haqqani to run the embassy – from December 26, 2022.
But a senior diplomat from Afghanistan’s embassy in Tehran said on condition of anonymity that Haqqani was appointed as Taliban’s deputy consulate eight months ago and had traveled to Kabul two months ahead of the arrival of the letter in Tehran.
According to the diplomat, Haqqani met with Muttaqi during his stay in Kabul and returned to Tehran with the letter citing him as charge d’affaires.
A number of diplomats who were appointed by the previous government, including Abdul Qayum Sulaimani, the charge d’affaires, opposed the decision by the Taliban, said the diplomat.
The diplomat added that after Haqqani’s arrival in Tehran, Iran’s government announced in a statement on its website that it has not accepted him as charge d’affaires of the embassy. But Iran’s foreign ministry removed its statement from its website days after it was published.
Hassan Kazimi Qomi, charge d’affaires of Iran in Kabul, did not respond to Amu’s query about the matter.
Former Iran ambassador to Afghanistan, Mohammad Reza Bahrami, said he is not aware of the matter.
But a source from Taliban’s foreign ministry said that Afghanistan’s charge d’affaires Abdul Qayum Sulaimani had built “good” relations with Muttaqi but despite that, he was sacked by the Taliban and was replaced by their pick, Fazil Haqqani, adding that it was the reason for which Iran’s foreign ministry issued the statement, and deleted it later.
“It was an exchange deal. Iranians had received a visa for their diplomat from Taliban and issued a visa for Taliban’s diplomat to go there and serve as the first secretariat,” the source said. “But when he goes to Iran, Sulaimani, who is charge d’affaires, did not allow him to enter the embassy.”
Sulaimani also did not respond to the matter when asked by Amu.
Another diplomat from Afghanistan’s embassy in Tehran said Haqqani has been allowed now to serve as deputy consulate.
Zia Ahmad Takal, a spokesman for the Taliban’s foreign ministry, did not respond to Amu’s questions about the matter.
Recently, Muttaqi said at a gathering that the Taliban’s administration has sent diplomats to 10 countries and they have built “good” relations with them.
According to him, Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Qatar are the countries where Taliban diplomats are present.
“Former diplomats (of the republic government) in some countries have good relations with Kabul,” he said.
